The Black Lives Matter movement has taken centre-stage in the US, following the murder of George Floyd. The resurgence of this movement, following its inception in 2013, can bring about a significant change in American society if the demonstrators are persistent. Several movements in the past have reshaped the societal framework in the country, such as the Boston Tea Party, and now this movement has the potential to do the same in 2020, nearly 250 years later. This struggle will not be easy as most other struggles, and the demonstrators may get injured, hurt, or even killed. However, this new wave of protests is different from the ones that historians have studied thus far.
The demonstrators are out amidst the COVID-19 crisis, and as the people of the contemporary world who are dealing with issues comprising economic downfall, unemployment, rapid degradation of the environment, and climate change, they are challenging the prevailing conditions by combining these multiple factors. Further, they have the ability to reach out to a wider network of people through the use of social media, using various platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to inform about the movement and share information of the protests. Similar to the #MeToo movement, the #BlackLivesMatter movement is gaining traction across all social media platforms. The Internet was created for the benefit of the people, and if this is not one of them, we don’t know what is.
Several landmark decisions of the Supreme Court including Brown v. Board of Education wherein racial segregation in public schools was held as unconstitutional, and Browder v. Gayle where a District Court held that the racial segregation on public buses was unconstitutional, have been pronounced against the backdrop of civil protests. However, change at a societal level is never easy, and often, comes at a massive cost. Martin Luther King, one of the most prominent global civil rights leaders of his time, was assassinated near his room in Memphis where he was supporting the black sanitation workers who were on strike asking for better pay and working conditions.
The Civil Rights Act, 1964, was a watershed moment for the members of the African American community. It prohibits discrimination in public accommodations, public facilities, public schools, and various others, on the basis of race. However, despite the passage of nearly 60 years, the instances of police brutality involving the black persons have only increased. While the distinction between the earlier movements and the current Black Lives Matter movement has to be considered, the essential aim is no different. No black person should suffer the same fate as George Floyd in the future. This movement will hopefully serve as a catalyst towards the creation of a more fair and just world for the members of the black community in the US.
The Envoy 